By Meredith Carey, Conde Nast Traveler; May 30, 2018
Ever traveled on Amtrak’s Acela train—with stops in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C.—with more than one friend? How about a family of four? Good freaking luck finding seats together, unless you’re first on the train. But, thankfully, our nation’s railroad system has heard our pleas. Starting today, you can now select your seats ahead of time in Acela’s first-class cabin on select routes. Though that may be disappointing news for those of us who don’t usually ride in Acela’s first class—which includes complimentary drinks and meals, plus extra legroom, and access to the stations’ lounges with its ticket—Amtrak has hinted that more good news is on the way. In a news release sent exclusively to Traveler, Amtrak said that “after evaluating this launch, Amtrak will introduce seat assignments on more departures in 2018.” Since this is the first time in the company’s nearly 50-year history that it’s offered any seating assignments, we’re taking that comment as a however-hopeful-it-may-be clue that seating assignments for all are on the horizon.
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